On March 18 at 11:59 p.m., Dr. Joseph K. Miner, the executive
director of the Utah Department of Health ordered that “all foodservice, restaurants, self-serve buffets, salad bars,
unpackaged self-serve food services, bars, taverns, nightclubs, private liquor
clubs, and saloons in the state of Utah shall immediately close
to members, guests, patrons, customers, and the general public.”

In compliance with the order, restaurants across the state immediately
shuttered their doors to avoid large gatherings of people and minimize the
spread of COVID-19.

This has caused incredibly problematic financial dilemmas for
restaurants that often run on tight margins and rely on frequent patrons to
sustain their business model.

Despite the obstacles that have resulted from this
unprecedented crisis, many restaurants around the valley are still offering
curbside, takeout and delivery.

The website “Curbside Utah” has sprung up to serve as a hub
where restaurants can let customers know that they are still open during this
time of hardship. The user-friendly interface allows visitors to search open
restaurants by city. The restaurants list special instructions for how to order
food over phone from each place and pick it up.

Small business owners and restaurants can easily take
advantages of the service of Curbside Utah. At the top of the front page you
are able to click a link that allows you to list your restaurant. This takes
you to a page where you are able to conveniently list location, contact
details, hours of operation and price range.

Businesses that have taken advantage of this feature include
Café Rio, Pizzeria Limone, Tucci’s, and Sugar House Coffee.

Other small restaurants such as Peppercini’s American Eatery
located at 3981 S. 700 East in Murray that
rely on their visibility of the customer base from the surrounding office
complex to do business have used other creative strategies to appeal to
customers.

The small eatery has changed
its hours and advertised the change on Facebook and Instagram, according to
Shay Holton, manager.

“Our hours used to be 8 to 3 but we have extended 8 to 8
just with hours being cut in the building,” Holton explained. “We rely on the
people that are around us and they’re all working from home. Either they’re too
far or not a lot of people know about us right now.”

The change comes because the owners thought that getting a few
night businesses as customers will help make up for the labor in the morning.

Peppercini’s is not currently a member of Curbside Utah but
expressed enthusiasm about its potential to help connect to customers.

“We feel good about still being able to do pickup and
deliveries. We’ll survive once this is over,” Holton said.

If you want to eat from any of these restaurants or many
more, visit curbsideutah.com or the
website of your favorite local restaurant for instructions regarding takeout.